Medium conveying apparatus

ABSTRACT

A medium conveying apparatus includes a main body, a paper ejection tray main body that is supported by the main body and that is arranged at a paper ejection tray unfolding position or a paper ejection tray storage position, an extension member that is supported by the paper ejection tray main body and that is arranged at an expansion position or a contraction position, a cover that is supported by the main body and that is arranged at an opening position or a closing position, and a contact member that is fixed to the cover, wherein the cover is arranged at a midway position between the opening position and the closing position when the paper ejection tray main body is arranged at the paper ejection tray storage position and when the extension member is not arranged at the contraction position and is in contact with the contact member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of theprior Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-097428, filed on Jun. 10,2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The embodiment discussed herein is related to a medium conveyingapparatus.

BACKGROUND

There is a known medium conveying apparatuses that is able to be storedin a small space by storing both of a first tray and a second tray in adevice main body on which a medium is placed (Japanese Laid-open PatentPublication No. 2003-089249, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No.2012-185208, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 9-068910).

When an extension member that expands and contracts the first tray isfurther provided, this type of medium conveying apparatus is able tohold a medium protruding from the first tray by the extension member andis able to prevent deviation or drop of the medium from the first tray.However, with this type of medium conveying apparatus, a problemsometimes occurs when the first tray is not appropriately stored due toinappropriate contraction of the first tray. An example of the problemincludes a problem that the second tray is not appropriately stored.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of an embodiment, a medium conveying apparatusincludes a main body in which a conveying path that connects aninsertion port and a discharge port is formed, a paper ejection traymain body that is rotatably supported by the main body and that isarranged at a paper ejection tray unfolding position or a paper ejectiontray storage position, an extension member that is supported so as to beable to move translationally with respect to the paper ejection traymain body and that is arranged at an expansion position or a contractionposition, a cover that is rotatably supported by the main body and thatis arranged at an opening position or a closing position, and a contactmember that is fixed to the cover, wherein the discharge port isconnected to the paper ejection tray main body when the paper ejectiontray main body is arranged at the paper ejection tray unfoldingposition, the insertion port is opened by the cover when the cover isarranged at the opening position, and is closed by the cover when thecover is arranged at the closing position, and the cover is arranged ata midway position between the opening position and the closing positionwhen the paper ejection tray main body is arranged at the paper ejectiontray storage position and when the extension member is not arranged atthe contraction position and is in contact with the contact member.

The object and advantages of the disclosure will be realized andattained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointedout in the claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and arenot restrictive of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an image reading apparatusprovided with a medium conveying apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view illustrating the image readingapparatus;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image readingapparatus;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image readingapparatus when a blindfold cover is opened and a paper feed tray isunfolded;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image readingapparatus when a paper ejection tray is stored, a paper feed tray isstored, and a blindfold cover is closed;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the image reading apparatuswhen the paper ejection tray is stored and the paper feed tray isstored;

FIG. 7 is another perspective view illustrating the image readingapparatus when the paper ejection tray is stored, the paper feed tray isstored, and the blindfold cover is closed;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the blindfold cover;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus when the paper ejection tray is stored, the paper feedtray is stored, and the blindfold cover is closed;

FIG. 10 is a top view illustrating the image reading apparatus when thepaper ejection tray is stored, the paper feed tray is stored, and theblindfold cover is closed;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus when the paper ejection tray is stored;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading device when a paper ejection tray main body is arranged at apaper ejection tray storage position and when a paper ejection trayextension member is arranged at an inappropriate contraction position;

FIG. 13 is a top view illustrating the image reading apparatus when theblindfold cover is arranged at a cover midway position;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the image reading apparatus;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus when the paper ejection tray main body is arranged atthe paper ejection tray storage position and when the paper ejectiontray extension member is arranged at the inappropriate contractionposition;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus when the paper ejection tray is inappropriately storedin the medium conveying apparatus main body; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating the image reading apparatuswhen the paper ejection tray is inappropriately stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body and when the paper feed tray main body isarranged at the paper feed tray midway position.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of a medium conveying apparatus disclosed in thepresent disclosure will be explained below with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Furthermore, the technology of the presentdisclosure is not limited to the embodiments. Furthermore, in thedescription below, the same reference numerals are assigned to the samecomponents and descriptions of overlapping portions will be omitted.

Embodiment

A medium conveying apparatus according to an embodiment is provided inan image reading apparatus 1, as illustrated in FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is aperspective view illustrating the image reading apparatus 1 providedwith the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment. Theimage reading apparatus 1 includes a medium conveying apparatus mainbody 2, a scan button 3, a power lamp 5, a paper feed tray 6, and apaper ejection tray 7. The medium conveying apparatus main body 2 isformed in a substantially box shape. The scan button 3 is arranged onthe upper side of the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. The scanbutton 3 detects whether or not the scan button 3 has been pressed. Thepower lamp 5 is arranged on the front side and on the upper side of themedium conveying apparatus main body 2. The power lamp 5 is formed by alight-emitting diode.

The paper feed tray 6 includes a paper feed tray main body 11 and apaper feed tray extension member 12. The paper feed tray main body 11 isformed in a plate shape. A paper feed tray placement surface 14 isformed on the paper feed tray main body 11. A space for storing thereinthe paper feed tray extension member 12 is formed inside the paper feedtray main body 11. The paper feed tray main body 11 is supported by themedium conveying apparatus main body 2 so as to be rotatable about arotation axis 15. The rotation axis 15 is parallel to a plane that isparallel to an installation surface on which the image reading apparatus1 is placed. The paper feed tray main body 11 is opened and closed as aresult of the paper feed tray main body 11 rotating about the rotationaxis 15.

The paper feed tray extension member 12 is formed in a plate shape. Apaper feed tray auxiliary placement surface 16 is formed in the paperfeed tray extension member 12. The paper feed tray extension member 12is arranged such that the paper feed tray auxiliary placement surface 16is substantially parallel to the plane that is parallel to the paperfeed tray placement surface 14, and is supported by the paper feed traymain body 11 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 17. Therotation axis 17 is perpendicular to the plane that is parallel to thepaper feed tray placement surface 14. The paper feed tray 6 expands andcontracts as a result of the paper feed tray extension member 12rotating about the rotation axis 17. The paper feed tray extensionmember 12 is arranged at the paper feed tray expansion position and isarranged outside the paper feed tray main body 11 when the paper feedtray 6 is appropriately expanded.

The paper feed tray 6 is unfolded or stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2 as a result of the paper feed tray main body 11being opened or closed or the paper feed tray 6 being expanded orcontracted. The paper feed tray extension member 12 is arranged at thepaper feed tray expansion position when the paper feed tray 6 isappropriately unfolded. The paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged atthe paper feed tray unfolding position when the paper feed tray 6 isinappropriately unfolded. The paper feed tray placement surface 14 isoriented obliquely upward when the paper feed tray main body 11 isarranged at the paper feed tray unfolding position.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view illustrating the image readingapparatus 1. The image reading apparatus 1 further includes a blindfoldcover 18. The blindfold cover 18 is formed in a substantially plateshape. The blindfold cover 18 is arranged on the rear side of the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2 and is supported by the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 19.The rotation axis 19 is parallel to the rotation axis 15. The blindfoldcover 18 is opened and closed as a result of the blindfold cover 18rotating about the rotation axis 19. The blindfold cover 18 is arrangedat the opening position when the blindfold cover 18 is appropriatelyopened.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image readingapparatus 1. The paper ejection tray 7 includes a paper ejection traymain body 21 and a paper ejection tray extension member 22. The paperejection tray main body 21 is formed in a plate shape. A paper ejectiontray placement surface 23 is formed in the paper ejection tray main body21. A storage space for storing the paper ejection tray extension member22 is formed inside the paper ejection tray main body 21. The paperejection tray main body 21 is supported by the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis 24.The rotation axis 24 is parallel to the rotation axis 15. The planeparallel to the paper ejection tray placement surface 23 is parallel tothe rotation axis 24. The paper ejection tray main body 21 is opened andclosed as a result of the paper ejection tray main body 21 rotatingabout the rotation axis 24.

The paper ejection tray extension member 22 is formed in a plate shape.A paper ejection tray auxiliary placement surface 25 is formed in thepaper ejection tray extension member 22. The paper ejection trayextension member 22 is arranged such that the paper ejection trayauxiliary placement surface 25 is substantially along the plane that isparallel to the paper ejection tray placement surface 23, and issupported by the paper ejection tray main body 21 so as to be able toperform a translational movement in a direction parallel to atranslation direction 26. The translation direction 26 is parallel tothe plane that is parallel to the paper ejection tray placement surface23, and is also perpendicular to the rotation axis 24. A leading end 27that is included in the paper ejection tray extension member 22 and thatis located away from the rotation axis 24 moves closer to the paperejection tray main body 21 or moves away from the paper ejection traymain body 21 as a result of the paper ejection tray extension member 22moving translationally in a direction parallel to the translationdirection 26. The paper ejection tray 7 expands and contracts as aresult of the paper ejection tray extension member 22 movingtranslationally in a direction parallel to the translation direction 26.The paper ejection tray extension member 22 is arranged at the paperejection tray expansion position and is arranged outside the paperejection tray main body 21 when the paper ejection tray 7 isappropriately expanded.

The paper ejection tray 7 is unfolded or is stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2 as a result of the paper ejection traymain body 21 being opened or closed or the paper ejection tray 7 beingexpanded or contracted. The paper ejection tray extension member 22 isarranged at the paper ejection tray expansion position when the paperejection tray 7 is appropriately unfolded. The paper ejection tray mainbody 21 is arranged at the paper ejection tray unfolding position whenthe paper ejection tray 7 is appropriately unfolded. The paper ejectiontray placement surface 23 is oriented obliquely upward when the paperejection tray main body 21 is arranged at the paper ejection trayunfolding position.

An insertion port 31, a discharge port 32, and a conveying path 33 areformed in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. The insertion port31 is formed on the rear side of the medium conveying apparatus mainbody 2. The discharge port 32 is formed on the front side and on theupper side of the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. The conveyingpath 33 is formed inside the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. Theinsertion port 31 and the discharge port 32 are connected via theconveying path 33. The discharge port 32 is connected to the paperejection tray main body 21 and is connected to the paper ejection trayplacement surface 23 when the paper ejection tray main body 21 isarranged at the paper ejection tray unfolding position.

The image reading apparatus 1 further includes a conveying unit 37 and areading unit 38. The conveying unit 37 is arranged inside the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2. The conveying unit 37 supplies, to theconveying path 33, one of a plurality of media that are inserted in theinsertion port 31. The conveying unit 37 further conveys the singlemedium supplied to the conveying path 33 toward the discharge port 32along the conveying path 33. The conveying unit 37 discharges the mediumthat has been conveyed along the conveying path 33 from the dischargeport 32. The reading unit 38 captures an image of the medium that isconveyed along the conveying path 33.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image readingapparatus 1 when the blindfold cover 18 is opened and the paper feedtray 6 is unfolded. When the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at theopening position, the insertion port 31 is opened without being coveredby the blindfold cover 18. The image reading apparatus 1 furtherincludes a cover closing spring 39. The cover closing spring 39 isformed of a torsion coil spring. One end of the cover closing spring 39is fixed to the medium conveying apparatus main body 2, whereas theother end of the cover closing spring 39 is fixed to the blindfold cover18. The cover closing spring 39 is elastically deformed and applies anelastic force to the blindfold cover 18 such that the blindfold cover 18moves toward the closing position.

A root side edge 35 that is included in the paper feed tray main body 11and that is located at a position closer to the rotation axis 15 movescloser to the insertion port 31 or away from the insertion port 31 as aresult of the paper feed tray main body 11 rotating with respect to themedium conveying apparatus main body 2. The root side edge 35 isarranged in the vicinity of the insertion port 31 when the blindfoldcover 18 is arranged at the opening position and when the paper feedtray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray unfolding position.The insertion port 31 is connected to the paper feed tray main body 11and is connected to the paper feed tray placement surface 14 of thepaper feed tray main body 11 when the paper feed tray main body 11 isarranged at the paper feed tray unfolding position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image readingapparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray 7 is stored, the paper feedtray 6 is stored, and the blindfold cover 18 is closed. The paperejection tray 7 is contracted when the paper ejection tray 7 isappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. Thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 is arranged at the paperejection tray contraction position and is stored inside the paperejection tray main body 21 when the paper ejection tray 7 isappropriately contracted. The paper ejection tray main body 21 isarranged at the paper ejection tray storage position when the paperejection tray 7 is appropriately stored. The paper ejection trayplacement surface 23 of the paper ejection tray main body 21 is orientedobliquely upward when the paper ejection tray main body 21 is arrangedat the paper ejection tray storage position.

The paper feed tray 6 is contracted when the paper feed tray 6 isappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. Thepaper feed tray extension member 12 is arranged at the paper feed traycontraction position and is stored inside the paper feed tray main body11 when the paper feed tray 6 is appropriately contracted. The paperfeed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storageposition and is arranged on the paper ejection tray 7 when the paperfeed tray 6 is appropriately stored. When the paper feed tray main body11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storage position, the paper feedtray placement surface 14 of the paper feed tray main body 11 facesdownward, is opposite to the paper ejection tray 7 that is stored in themedium conveying apparatus main body 2, and faces the paper ejectiontray placement surface 23 of the paper ejection tray main body 21.

When the paper ejection tray 7 is appropriately stored and when thepaper feed tray 6 is appropriately stored, the paper feed tray main body11 covers the paper ejection tray 7 and the discharge port 32 such thatboth of the paper ejection tray 7 and the discharge port 32 are notexposed to a portion on the upper side of the medium conveying apparatusmain body 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the image readingapparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray 7 is stored and the paper feedtray 6 is stored. The image reading apparatus 1 is able to prevent aforeign object from entering the conveying path 33 via the dischargeport 32 when the discharge port 32 is covered by the paper feed traymain body 11.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , when the blindfold cover 18 is closed, theblindfold cover 18 is arranged at the closing position and covers bothof the insertion port 31 and the paper ejection tray 7 such that theinsertion port 31 and the paper ejection tray 7 are not exposed to aportion on the rear side of the medium conveying apparatus main body 2.The image reading apparatus 1 is able to prevent a foreign object fromentering the conveying path 33 via the insertion port 31 when theinsertion port 31 is covered by the blindfold cover 18. FIG. 7 isanother perspective view illustrating the image reading apparatus 1 whenthe paper ejection tray 7 is stored, the paper feed tray 6 is stored,and the blindfold cover 18 is closed. When the paper ejection tray 7 isstored, the paper feed tray 6 is stored, and the blindfold cover 18 isclosed, the image reading apparatus 1 is formed in a substantially boxshape and is formed to be reduced in size as compared to the case wherethe paper ejection tray 7 is unfolded, the paper feed tray 6 isunfolded, and the blindfold cover 18 is opened. The image readingapparatus 1 is able to be stored in a small space by being formed in acompact size.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the blindfold cover 18. Theblindfold cover 18 includes a cover outer shell 41, a plurality ofvertical reinforcement ribs 42, a plurality of horizontal reinforcementribs 43, and a contact rib 44. The cover outer shell 41 is formed in aplate shape and forms an outer shell on the rear side of the blindfoldcover 18. The plane parallel to the cover outer shell 41 is parallel tothe rotation axis 19. Each of the plurality of vertical reinforcementribs 42 is formed in a belt shape. Each of the plurality of verticalreinforcement ribs 42 is arranged on the front side of the cover outershell 41 so as to be along the plurality of associated parallel planes,and is integrally joined to the cover outer shell 41. The plurality ofparallel planes parallel to the plurality of associated verticalreinforcement ribs 42 are perpendicular to the rotation axis 19, thatis, perpendicular to the plane parallel to the cover outer shell 41.Each of the plurality of horizontal reinforcement ribs 43 is formed in abelt shape. Each of the plurality of horizontal reinforcement ribs 43 isarranged on the front side of the cover outer shell 41 so as to be alongthe plurality of associated parallel planes, and is integrally joined tothe cover outer shell 41. Each of the plurality of parallel planesparallel to the plurality of associated horizontal reinforcement ribs 43is parallel to the rotation axis 19 and is perpendicular to the planeparallel to the cover outer shell 41. The plurality of verticalreinforcement ribs 42 and the plurality of horizontal reinforcement ribs43 reinforce the cover outer shell 41 such that the cover outer shell 41is not bent. The contact rib 44 is formed in a belt shape. The contactrib 44 is arranged at the center of the blindfold cover 18 in the widthdirection that is parallel to the rotation axis 19, and is arranged soas to be along the plane that is perpendicular to the rotation axis 19.The contact rib 44 is integrally joined to the cover outer shell 41.Similarly to the plurality of vertical reinforcement ribs 42 and theplurality of horizontal reinforcement ribs 43, the contact rib 44reinforces the cover outer shell 41 such that the cover outer shell 41is not bent.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray 7 is stored, the paperfeed tray 6 is stored, and the blindfold cover 18 is closed. The rootside edge 35 of the paper feed tray main body 11 moves away from theinsertion port 31 and is arranged on the rear side and the upper side ofthe image reading apparatus 1 when the paper feed tray main body 11 isarranged at the paper feed tray storage position. When the paper feedtray 6 is appropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus mainbody 2 and when the blindfold cover 18 is arranged in the closingposition, the insertion port 31 is covered by the blindfold cover 18 andis closed. When the paper ejection tray 7 is appropriately stored in themedium conveying apparatus main body 2 and when the blindfold cover 18is arranged at the closing position, the contact rib 44 comes intocontact with the leading end 27 of the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22, or, is arranged in the vicinity of the leading end 27.

When the paper feed tray 6 is appropriately stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2, an upper end 36 of the blindfold cover18 located at a position away from the rotation axis 19 moves to thefront side or moves to the rear side as a result of the blindfold cover18 rotating about the rotation axis 19. In other words, when the paperfeed tray 6 is appropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatusmain body 2, the upper end 36 of the blindfold cover 18 moves closer tothe root side edge 35 of the paper feed tray main body 11 or moves awayfrom the root side edge 35 as a result of the blindfold cover 18rotating about the rotation axis 19. As illustrated in FIG. 10 , whenthe paper feed tray 6 is appropriately stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2 and when the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at theclosing position, the upper end 36 comes into contact with the root sideedge 35 of the paper feed tray main body 11 or is arranged in thevicinity of the root side edge 35. FIG. 10 is a top view illustratingthe image reading apparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray 7 is stored,the paper feed tray 6 is stored, and the blindfold cover 18 is closed.In other words, when the paper feed tray 6 is appropriately stored inthe medium conveying apparatus main body 2 and when the blindfold cover18 is arranged at the closing position, the size of the gap between theupper end 36 of the blindfold cover 18 and the root side edge 35 of thepaper feed tray main body 11 is smaller than a predetermined value.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray 7 is stored. When thepaper ejection tray 7 is appropriately stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2, the paper ejection tray 7 is arranged so as notoverlap with the area through which the paper feed tray main body 11passes at the time of opening and closing of the paper feed tray mainbody 11. In other words, when the paper ejection tray 7 is appropriatelystored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2, the image readingapparatus 1 is formed such that the paper ejection tray 7 does notinhibit the paper feed tray main body 11 from moving toward the paperfeed tray unfolding position.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , when the paper ejection tray main body 21 isarranged at the paper ejection tray storage position, the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 is sometimes arranged at an inappropriatecontraction position as a result of the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 not being arranged at the paper ejection tray contractionposition. FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating theimage reading apparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray main body 21 isarranged at the paper ejection tray storage position and when the paperejection tray extension member 22 is arranged at the inappropriatecontraction position. Unlike the paper ejection tray contractionposition and the paper ejection tray expansion position, theinappropriate contraction position indicates the position between thepaper ejection tray contraction position and the paper ejection trayexpansion position. When the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isarranged at the inappropriate contraction position, the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 is inappropriately stored in the paper ejectiontray main body 21. When the paper ejection tray main body 21 is arrangedat the paper ejection tray storage position and when the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 is arranged at the inappropriate contractionposition, the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in themedium conveying apparatus main body 2.

When the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2 and when the contact rib 44 comes intocontact with the leading end 27 of the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22, the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at the cover midwayposition. Unlike the opening position and the closing position, thecover midway position indicates the position between the openingposition and the closing position. When the blindfold cover 18 isarranged at the cover midway position, the upper end 36 of the blindfoldcover 18 is away from the root side edge 35 of the paper feed tray mainbody 11. FIG. 13 is a top view illustrating the image reading apparatus1 when the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at the cover midway position.When the paper feed tray 6 is appropriately stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2 and when the blindfold cover 18 isarranged at the cover midway position, the size of a gap 46 between theupper end 36 of the blindfold cover 18 and the root side edge 35 of thepaper feed tray main body 11 is greater than a predetermined value.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the image reading apparatus 1.The image reading apparatus 1 further includes a paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51, a cover opening mechanism 52, apaper ejection tray opening-and-closing mechanism 53, and a paperejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54. The paper feedtray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 51 mechanically convertsrotation of the paper feed tray main body 11 to rotation of the paperfeed tray extension member 12. In detail, when the paper feed tray mainbody 11 moves toward the paper feed tray unfolding position, the paperfeed tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 51 causes the paper feedtray extension member 12 to move toward the paper feed tray expansionposition in conjunction with the rotation of the paper feed tray mainbody 11. When the paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paperfeed tray unfolding position, the paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51 further causes the paper feedtray extension member 12 to be arranged at the paper feed tray expansionposition. When the paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paperfeed tray storage position, the paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51 causes the paper feed trayextension member 12 to move toward the paper feed tray contractionposition in conjunction with the rotation of the paper feed tray mainbody 11. When the paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paperfeed tray storage position, the paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51 further causes the paper feedtray extension member 12 to be arranged at the paper feed traycontraction position.

When the paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed trayunfolding position, the cover opening mechanism 52 pushes the blindfoldcover 18 against an elastic force of the cover closing spring 39 andcauses the blindfold cover 18 to move toward the opening position. Whenthe paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed trayunfolding position, the cover opening mechanism 52 further causes theblindfold cover 18 to be arranged at the opening position. When thepaper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed tray storageposition, the cover opening mechanism 52 releases the blindfold cover 18such that the blindfold cover 18 moves toward the closing position dueto the elastic force of the cover closing spring 39. When the paper feedtray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storage position,the cover opening mechanism 52 releases the blindfold cover 18 such thatthe blindfold cover 18 is arranged at the closing position due to theelastic force of the cover closing spring 39.

When a medium is conveyed along the conveying path 33 by the conveyingunit 37, the paper ejection tray opening-and-closing mechanism 53 causesthe paper ejection tray main body 21 to move toward the paper ejectiontray unfolding position and arranges the paper ejection tray main body21 at the paper ejection tray unfolding position. After all of the mediainserted in the insertion port 31 have been ejected from the dischargeport 32, the paper ejection tray opening-and-closing mechanism 53 causesthe paper ejection tray main body 21 to move toward the paper ejectiontray storage position and arranges the paper ejection tray main body 21at the paper ejection tray storage position.

The paper ejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54mechanically converts the rotation of the paper ejection tray main body21 to a translational movement of the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22. In detail, when the paper ejection tray main body 21 movestoward the paper ejection tray unfolding position, the paper ejectiontray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 causes the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 to move translationally toward the paperejection tray expansion position in conjunction with the rotation of thepaper ejection tray main body 21. When the paper ejection tray main body21 is arranged at the paper ejection tray unfolding position, the paperejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 further causes thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 to be arranged at the paperejection tray expansion position. When the paper ejection tray main body21 moves toward the paper ejection tray storage position, the paperejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 causes the paperejection tray extension member 22 to move translationally toward thepaper ejection tray contraction position in conjunction with therotation of the paper ejection tray main body 21. When the paperejection tray main body 21 is arranged at the paper ejection traystorage position, the paper ejection tray expansion-and-contractionmechanism 54 further causes the paper ejection tray extension member 22to be arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position.

The image reading apparatus 1 further includes a paper feed tray storagesensor 55, a cover closing sensor 56, and a control device 57. The paperfeed tray storage sensor 55 is arranged inside the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2. The paper feed tray storage sensor 55 detectswhether or not the paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paperfeed tray storage position. The cover closing sensor 56 is arrangedinside the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. The cover closingsensor 56 detects whether or not the blindfold cover 18 is arranged atthe closing position.

The control device 57 is a computer and includes, for example, a storagedevice, and a central processing unit (CPU), that are not illustrated.The storage device records a computer program installed in the controldevice 57 and records information used by the CPU. The CPU performs, byexecuting the computer program installed in the control device 57,information processing and controls the storage device. The CPU furthercontrols, by executing the computer program installed in the controldevice 57, the power lamp 5, the paper feed tray storage sensor 55, andthe cover closing sensor 56.

The control device 57 controls the power lamp 5 such that the power lamp5 is turned off when the paper feed tray storage sensor 55 detects thatthe paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed traystorage position. The control device 57 controls the power lamp 5 suchthat the power lamp 5 is turned on when the paper feed tray storagesensor 55 detects that the paper feed tray main body 11 is not arrangedat the paper feed tray storage position. When it is detected that thepaper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storageposition and when it is detected that the blindfold cover 18 is arrangedat the closing position, the control device 57 determines that the paperejection tray extension member 22 is appropriately arranged at the paperejection tray contraction position. In other words, the cover closingsensor 56 is able to detect that the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 is arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position bydetecting that the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at the closingposition. When it is detected that the paper feed tray main body 11 isarranged at the paper feed tray storage position and when it is detectedthat the blindfold cover 18 is not arranged at the closing position, thecontrol device 57 determines that the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 is not arranged at the paper ejection tray contractionposition. When it is determined that the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 is not arranged at the paper ejection tray contractionposition, the control device 57 controls the power lamp 5 to blink thepower lamp 5.

Operation of Image Reading Apparatus 1

When a user attempts to read images of a plurality of media by using theimage reading apparatus 1, the user moves the paper feed tray main body11 toward the paper feed tray unfolding position and arranges the paperfeed tray main body 11 at the paper feed tray unfolding position. Whenthe paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed trayunfolding position, the paper feed tray extension member 12 moves towardthe paper feed tray expansion position by the paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51. When the paper feed tray mainbody 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray unfolding position, the paperfeed tray extension member 12 is arranged at the paper feed trayexpansion position by the paper feed tray expansion-and-contractionmechanism 51. The paper feed tray 6 is appropriately unfolded as aresult of the paper feed tray main body 11 being arranged at the paperfeed tray unfolding position and the paper feed tray extension member 12being arranged at the paper feed tray expansion position.

When the paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed trayunfolding position, the blindfold cover 18 moves toward the openingposition against the elastic force of the cover closing spring 39 due tothe cover opening mechanism 52. When the paper feed tray main body 11 isarranged at the paper feed tray unfolding position, the blindfold cover18 is arranged at the opening position due to the cover openingmechanism 52. When the paper feed tray storage sensor 55 detects thatthe paper feed tray main body 11 is not arranged at the paper feed traystorage position, the control device 57 causes the power lamp 5 to beturned on by controlling the power lamp 5.

When the paper feed tray 6 is appropriately unfolded, the user places aplurality of media on the paper feed tray 6 such that the plurality ofmedia is opposite to the paper feed tray placement surface 14. At thistime, the image reading apparatus 1 is able to prevent deviation or dropof the plurality of media due to the weight of the protruding portionsof the media out of the plurality of media protruding from the paperfeed tray main body 11 as a result of the protruding portions beingplaced on the paper feed tray extension member 12. When the plurality ofmedia are placed on the paper feed tray 6, the plurality of media movetoward the insertion port 31 and inserted in the insertion port 31 dueto gravity as a result of the paper feed tray placement surface 14 beingoriented obliquely upward. The user presses the scan button 3 after theplurality of media have been inserted in the insertion port 31.

After the scan button 3 detects that the scan button 3 has been pressed,the paper ejection tray opening-and-closing mechanism 53 causes thepaper ejection tray main body 21 to move toward the paper ejection trayunfolding position, and arranges the paper ejection tray main body 21 atthe paper ejection tray unfolding position. When the paper ejection traymain body 21 moves toward the paper ejection tray unfolding position,the paper ejection tray extension member 22 moves translationally towardthe paper ejection tray expansion position due to the paper ejectiontray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54. When the paper ejectiontray main body 21 is arranged at the paper ejection tray unfoldingposition, the paper ejection tray extension member 22 is arranged at thepaper ejection tray expansion position due to the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54. The paper ejection tray 7 isappropriately unfolded as a result of the paper ejection tray main body21 being arranged at the paper ejection tray unfolding position and thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 being arranged at the paperejection tray expansion position.

After the scan button 3 detects that the scan button 3 has been pressed,the conveying unit 37 supplies the plurality of media that have beeninserted in the insertion port 31 to the conveying path 33 one by one.The conveying unit 37 further conveys a single piece of the mediumsupplied to the conveying path 33 along the conveying path 33. Thereading unit 38 captures an image of the medium conveyed along theconveying path 33. The conveying unit 37 discharges the medium havingthereon the captured image from the discharge port 32, and places themedium having thereon the captured image on the paper ejection tray 7such that the medium having thereon the captured image is opposite tothe paper ejection tray placement surface 23 and the paper ejection trayauxiliary placement surface 25. Both of the conveying unit 37 and thereading unit 38 repeat the processes of conveying the medium andcapturing the image on the medium until all of the plurality of mediainserted in the insertion port 31 are placed on the paper ejection tray7. At this time, the image reading apparatus 1 is able to preventdeviation or drop of the media due to the weight of the protrudingportions of the media placed on the paper ejection tray 7 protrudingfrom the paper ejection tray main body 21 as a result of the protrudingportions being placed on the paper ejection tray extension member 22.

After all of the plurality of media have been placed on the paperejection tray 7, the paper ejection tray opening-and-closing mechanism53 causes the paper ejection tray main body 21 to move toward the paperejection tray storage position, and arranges the paper ejection traymain body 21 at the paper ejection tray storage position. When the paperejection tray main body 21 moves toward the paper ejection tray storageposition, the paper ejection tray extension member 22 movestranslationally toward the paper ejection tray contraction position dueto the paper ejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54. Whenthe paper ejection tray main body 21 is arranged at the paper ejectiontray storage position, the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isarranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position due to thepaper ejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54. After thepaper ejection tray 7 has been stored, the protruding portions of themedia placed on the paper ejection tray 7 protruding from the paperejection tray main body 21 are placed on the paper feed tray 6 so as tobe opposite to the paper feed tray placement surface 14 of the paperfeed tray 6.

After reading of the images of the plurality of media has beencompleted, the user takes out the plurality of media from the imagereading apparatus 1, moves the paper feed tray main body 11 toward thepaper feed tray storage position, and arranges the paper feed tray mainbody 11 at the paper feed tray storage position. When the paper feedtray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed tray storage position, thepaper feed tray extension member 12 moves toward the paper feed traycontraction position due to the paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51. When the paper feed tray mainbody 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storage position, the paperfeed tray extension member 12 is arranged at the paper feed traycontraction position due to the paper feed trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 51. The paper feed tray 6 isappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2 as aresult of the paper feed tray extension member 12 being arranged at thepaper feed tray contraction position and the paper feed tray main body11 being arranged at the paper feed tray storage position.

When the paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed traystorage position, the blindfold cover 18 is released from the coveropening mechanism 52, and moves toward the closing position due to theelastic force applied by the cover closing spring 39. When both of thepaper ejection tray 7 and the paper feed tray 6 are appropriately storedin the medium conveying apparatus main body 2, the blindfold cover 18 isreleased from the cover opening mechanism 52 and is arranged, asillustrated in FIG. 9 , at the closing position due to the elastic forceof the cover closing spring 39. When it is detected that the paper feedtray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storage positionand when it is detected that the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at theclosing position, the control device 57 causes the power lamp 5 to beturned off by controlling the power lamp 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 15 , even when the paper ejection tray main body21 is arranged at the paper ejection tray storage position, the paperejection tray extension member 22 is sometimes arranged at theinappropriate contraction position instead of being arranged at thepaper ejection tray contraction position. FIG. 15 is an enlargedcross-sectional view illustrating the image reading apparatus 1 when thepaper ejection tray main body 21 is arranged at the paper ejection traystorage position and when the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isarranged at the inappropriate contraction position. A problem ofarrangement of the paper ejection tray extension member 22 at theinappropriate contraction position occurs when, for example, a problemoccurs in the paper ejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism54, or when a force is applied to the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 after the paper ejection tray 7 is appropriately stored. Whenthe paper ejection tray main body 21 has been arranged at the paperejection tray storage position and when the paper ejection trayextension member 22 is arranged at the inappropriate contractionposition, the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in themedium conveying apparatus main body 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , in some cases, after the paper ejection tray7 has been inappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus mainbody 2, when the paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paperfeed tray storage position, the paper ejection tray extension member 22is also arranged at the inappropriate contraction position. Furthermore,as illustrated in FIG. 12 , the paper ejection tray extension member 22is sometimes arranged at the inappropriate contraction position as aresult of a force being applied to the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 after the paper ejection tray 7 has been appropriately storedand the paper feed tray 6 is stored in the medium conveying apparatusmain body 2.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the imagereading apparatus 1 when the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriatelystored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2. When the paperejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2, the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isarranged so as to be overlapped with the area through which the paperfeed tray main body 11 passes at the time of opening and closing of thepaper feed tray main body 11. When the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2 andwhen the paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paper feed trayunfolding position, the root side edge 35 of the paper feed tray mainbody 11 comes into contact with the paper ejection tray extension member22.

As illustrated in FIG. 17 , when the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2,the paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed traymidway position as a result of the root side edge 35 coming into contactwith the paper ejection tray extension member 22. FIG. 17 is aperspective view illustrating the image reading apparatus 1 when thepaper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2 and when the paper feed tray main body 11 isarranged at the paper feed tray midway position. Unlike the paper feedtray storage position, and unlike the paper feed tray unfoldingposition, the paper feed tray midway position indicates the positionbetween the paper feed tray storage position and the paper feed trayunfolding position. The contact between the root side edge 35 and thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 inhibits the paper feed traymain body 11 from moving toward the paper feed tray unfolding positionand inhibits the paper feed tray main body 11 from being arranged at thepaper feed tray unfolding position. The contact between the root sideedge 35 and the paper ejection tray extension member 22 sometimes causesdamage to the paper feed tray 6 as a result of the user moves the paperfeed tray main body 11 toward the paper feed tray unfolding position,thereby causing damage to the paper ejection tray 7.

When the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2, the contact rib 44 of the blindfoldcover 18 comes into contact with the leading end 27 of the paperejection tray extension member 22 in the middle of a process of theblindfold cover 18 moving from the opening position toward the closingposition. As a result of the contact rib 44 coming into contact with theleading end 27 of the paper ejection tray extension member 22, theblindfold cover 18 is not able to move toward the closing position fromthe arrangement state of the blindfold cover 18 at the cover midwayposition and is thus arranged at the cover midway position, asillustrated in FIG. 13 . The gap 46 that is greater than thepredetermined value is formed between the upper end 36 of the blindfoldcover 18 and the root side edge 35 of the paper feed tray main body 11as a result of the blindfold cover 18 being arranged at the cover midwayposition. The image reading apparatus 1 is able to notify the user thatthe paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2 as a result of the size of the gap 46between the upper end 36 of the blindfold cover 18 and the root sideedge 35 of the paper feed tray main body 11 is greater than thepredetermined value.

The cover closing sensor 56 detects that the blindfold cover 18 is notarranged at the closing position as a result of the blindfold cover 18being arranged at the cover midway position. When it is detected thatthe paper feed tray main body 11 has been arranged at the paper feedtray storage position and when it is detected that the blindfold cover18 is not arranged closing position, the control device 57 determinesthat the paper ejection tray extension member 22 is not arranged at thepaper ejection tray contraction position. When it is determined thatpaper ejection tray extension member 22 is not arranged at the paperejection tray contraction position, the control device 57 causes thepower lamp 5 to be flashed by controlling the power lamp 5. The imagereading apparatus 1 is able to notify the user that the paper ejectiontray 7 is inappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus mainbody 2 by flashing the power lamp 5.

By notifying the user that the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriatelystored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2, the image readingapparatus 1 is able to prevent the user from performing an operation ofmoving the paper feed tray main body 11 toward the paper feed trayunfolding position. When the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriatelystored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2, by preventing theuser from performing an operation of moving the paper feed tray mainbody 11 toward the paper feed tray unfolding position, the image readingapparatus 1 is able to prevent damage of the paper feed tray 6 or thepaper ejection tray 7.

When the user is notified that the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored in the medium conveying apparatus main body 2,the user moves the blindfold cover 18 toward the closing position andarranges the blindfold cover 18 at the closing position. As a result ofthe blindfold cover 18 moving toward the closing position, the leadingend 27 of the paper ejection tray extension member 22 is pressed by thecontact rib 44, and thus, the paper ejection tray extension member 22moves translationally toward the paper ejection tray contractionposition. The leading end 27 is pressed by the contact rib 44 as aresult of the blindfold cover 18 being arranged at the closing position,and thus, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 is arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position.Consequently, the user is able to easily arrange the paper ejection trayextension member 22 at the paper ejection tray contraction position byarranging the blindfold cover 18 at the closing position without openingthe blindfold cover 18 or the paper feed tray main body 11. In otherwords, when the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in themedium conveying apparatus main body 2, the image reading apparatus 1 isable to allow the user to easily perform an operation of arranging thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 at the paper ejection traycontraction position.

When it is detected that the paper feed tray main body 11 is arranged atthe paper feed tray storage position and when it is detected that theblindfold cover 18 is arranged at the closing position, the controldevice 57 determines that the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isarranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position. When it isdetermined that the paper ejection tray extension member 22 is arrangedat the paper ejection tray contraction position, the control device 57controls the power lamp 5 such that the power lamp 5 is turned off. Theimage reading apparatus 1 is able to notify the user that the paperejection tray 7 is appropriately stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2 by causing the power lamp 5 to be turned off. Whenthe power lamp 5 is turned off, the user is able to prevent the paperfeed tray 6 or the paper ejection tray 7 from being damaged by movingthe paper feed tray main body 11 toward the paper feed tray unfoldingposition.

Effects of Medium Conveying Apparatus According to the Embodiment

The medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment includes themedium conveying apparatus main body 2, the paper ejection tray mainbody 21, the paper ejection tray extension member 22, the blindfoldcover 18, and the contact rib 44. The conveying path 33 that connectsthe insertion port 31 and the discharge port 32 is formed in the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2. The paper ejection tray main body 21 isrotatably supported by the medium conveying apparatus main body 2, andis arranged at the paper ejection tray unfolding position or the paperejection tray storage position. The paper ejection tray extension member22 is supported so as to be able to move translationally with respect tothe paper ejection tray main body 21, and is arranged at the paperejection tray expansion position or the paper ejection tray contractionposition. The blindfold cover 18 is rotatably supported by the mediumconveying apparatus main body 2, and is arranged at the opening positionor the closing position. The contact rib 44 is fixed to the blindfoldcover 18. The discharge port 32 is connected to the paper ejection traymain body 21 when the paper ejection tray main body 21 is arranged atthe paper ejection tray unfolding position. When the blindfold cover 18is arranged at the opening position, the insertion port 31 is opened bythe blindfold cover 18, whereas, when the blindfold cover 18 is arrangedat the closing position, the insertion port 31 is closed by theblindfold cover 18. When the paper ejection tray main body 21 isarranged at the paper ejection tray storage position and when the paperejection tray extension member 22 is not arranged at the paper ejectiontray contraction position and the blindfold cover 18 moves toward theclosing position, the contact rib 44 comes into contact with the paperejection tray extension member 22. When the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored and when the contact rib 44 comes into contactwith the paper ejection tray extension member 22, the blindfold cover 18is arranged at the cover midway position between the opening positionand the closing position.

The medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment is able tonotify the user whether or not the paper ejection tray extension member22 is arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position accordingto whether or not the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at the closingposition. For example, even when the position at which the paperejection tray extension member 22 is arranged is not viewed fromoutside, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentnotifies the user that the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isnot arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position byarranging the blindfold cover 18 at the cover midway position. Themedium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment notifies the userthat the paper ejection tray extension member 22 is not arranged at thepaper ejection tray contraction position, and thus, urges the user toperform an operation of avoiding an occurrence of a problem, so that themedium conveying apparatus is able to prevent an occurrence of a problemcaused by inappropriate storage of the paper ejection tray 7.

Furthermore, when the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately storedand when the contact rib 44 comes into contact with the paper ejectiontray extension member 22, the blindfold cover 18 moves toward theclosing position, so that the medium conveying apparatus according tothe embodiment causes the paper ejection tray extension member 22 tomove translationally toward the paper ejection tray contractionposition. When the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored andwhen the contact rib 44 comes into contact with the paper ejection trayextension member 22, the blindfold cover 18 is arranged at the closingposition, so that the medium conveying apparatus according to theembodiment causes the paper ejection tray extension member 22 to bearranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position. When the paperejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored, the user arranges theblindfold cover 18 at the closing position, so that the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment is able to cause the paperejection tray extension member 22 to be arranged at the paper ejectiontray contraction position and is thus able to simplify an operationperformed by the user.

Furthermore, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentfurther includes the paper feed tray main body 11 that is rotatablysupported by the medium conveying apparatus main body 2 and that isarranged at the paper feed tray unfolding position or the paper feedtray storage position. The insertion port 31 is connected to the paperfeed tray main body 11 when the paper feed tray main body 11 is arrangedat the paper feed tray unfolding position. When the paper ejection tray7 is inappropriately arranged at the medium conveying apparatus mainbody 2, the paper feed tray main body 11 comes into contact with thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 in the middle of the process ofthe paper feed tray main body 11 moving from the paper feed tray storageposition toward the paper feed tray unfolding position. In other words,in the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment, when thepaper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored in the medium conveyingapparatus main body 2, a problem of inhibition of arrangement of thepaper feed tray main body 11 at the paper feed tray unfolding positionoccurs. By notifying the user that the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 is not arranged at the paper ejection tray contractionposition, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment isable to notify the user of an occurrence of a problem that the paperfeed tray main body 11 is not arranged at the paper feed tray unfoldingposition.

Furthermore, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentfurther includes the cover opening mechanism 52 and the cover closingspring 39. When the paper feed tray main body 11 moves toward the paperfeed tray unfolding position, the cover opening mechanism 52 causes theblindfold cover 18 to move toward the opening position. When the paperfeed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storageposition, the cover closing spring 39 applies an elastic force to theblindfold cover 18 such that the blindfold cover 18 moves toward theclosing position. By causing the elastic force of the cover closingspring 39 to move the blindfold cover 18 toward the closing position,the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment is able tocause the blindfold cover 18 to be arranged at the cover midway positionwhen the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored.

Incidentally, the cover closing spring 39 of the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment as described above applies theelastic force to the blindfold cover 18 such that the blindfold cover 18is arranged at the cover midway position when the paper ejection tray 7is inappropriately stored; however, the cover closing spring 39 mayapply a greater elastic force to the blindfold cover 18. For example,when the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored and when thepaper feed tray 6 is appropriately stored, the cover closing spring 39applies the elastic force to the blindfold cover 18 such that the paperejection tray extension member 22 moves toward the paper ejection traycontraction position. At this time, when the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored, the user is able to easily arrange the paperejection tray extension member 22 at the paper ejection tray contractionposition without moving the blindfold cover 18 to the closing position.In other words, when the paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriatelystored, the medium conveying apparatus is able to simplify an operation,performed by the user, of arranging the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 at the paper ejection tray contraction position.

Furthermore, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentfurther includes the paper feed tray storage sensor 55, the coverclosing sensor 56, the power lamp 5, and the control device 57. Thepaper feed tray storage sensor 55 detects whether or not the paper feedtray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storage position.The cover closing sensor 56 detects whether or not the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 is arranged at the paper ejection traycontraction position by detecting whether or not the blindfold cover 18is arranged at the closing position. When it is detected that the paperfeed tray main body 11 is arranged at the paper feed tray storageposition and when it is detected that the paper ejection tray extensionmember 22 is not arranged at the paper ejection tray contractionposition, the control device 57 causes the power lamp 5 to be flashed.When the blindfold cover 18 is not arranged at the closing position, thepower lamp 5 flashes, so that the medium conveying apparatus accordingto the embodiment is able to notify the user that the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 is not arranged at the paper ejection traycontraction position.

Incidentally, the cover closing sensor 56 of the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment as described above may be replacedwith a paper ejection tray contraction sensor that directly detectswhether or not the paper ejection tray extension member 22 is arrangedat the paper ejection tray contraction position. Even when the paperejection tray contraction sensor is used, the medium conveying apparatusis able to notify the user that the paper ejection tray extension member22 is not arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position bycausing the power lamp 5 to be flashed. Furthermore, when the paperejection tray contraction sensor is arranged inside the paper ejectiontray main body 21, the size of the paper ejection tray 7 may sometimesbe increased. Accordingly, with the medium conveying apparatus accordingto the embodiment as described above, by providing the cover closingsensor 56, the size of the paper ejection tray 7 is able to be reducedas compared to another medium conveying apparatus provided with thepaper ejection tray contraction sensor.

Incidentally, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentas described above notifies the user, by using the power lamp 5, thatthe paper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored; however, thenotification may be sent to the user by using another notification unitthat is different from the power lamp 5. An example of the notificationunit includes a display device on which a message indicating that thepaper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored is displayed, or a voicedevice that outputs a voice indicating that the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored. The medium conveying apparatus provided withthis type of notification unit is also able to notify the user that thepaper ejection tray 7 is inappropriately stored, similarly to the mediumconveying apparatus according to the embodiment as described above.

Incidentally, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentas described above notifies the user that the paper ejection tray 7 isinappropriately stored by using the notification unit exemplified by thepower lamp 5; however, the notification need not be sent to the user byusing the notification unit. In this case, also, when the paper ejectiontray 7 is inappropriately arranged, the blindfold cover 18 is arrangedat the closing position, so that the medium conveying apparatus is ableto notify the user that the paper ejection tray extension member 22 isnot arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position.

Furthermore, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentfurther includes the paper ejection tray expansion-and-contractionmechanism 54. When the paper ejection tray main body 21 moves toward thepaper ejection tray unfolding position, the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 moves translationally the paperejection tray extension member 22 toward the paper ejection trayexpansion position. When the paper ejection tray main body 21 movestoward the paper ejection tray storage position, the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 further moves translationally thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 toward the paper ejection traycontraction position.

With the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment, theuser does not need to perform an operation when expanding andcontracting the paper ejection tray 7, and thus, the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment is able to simplify an operationperformed by the user. In the medium conveying apparatus according tothe embodiment, when a problem occurs in the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54, even when the paper ejectiontray main body 21 is arranged at the paper ejection tray storageposition, the paper ejection tray 7 is sometimes inappropriately storedwithout the paper ejection tray extension member 22 being arranged atthe paper ejection tray contraction position. When the blindfold cover18 is not arranged at the closing position, the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment is able to notify the user that aproblem has occurred in the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54.

Incidentally, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentas described above includes the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54; however, the paper ejection trayexpansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 may be omitted. For example, whenthe paper ejection tray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 isomitted, the user arranges the paper ejection tray extension member 22at the paper ejection tray contraction position before moving the paperejection tray main body 21 toward the paper ejection tray storageposition. When the paper ejection tray expansion-and-contractionmechanism 54 is omitted, the user further arranges the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 at the paper ejection tray expansion positionafter the paper ejection tray main body 21 has been arranged at thepaper ejection tray unfolding position. Even when the paper ejectiontray expansion-and-contraction mechanism 54 is omitted, when theblindfold cover 18 is not arranged at the closing position, the mediumconveying apparatus is able to notify the user that the paper ejectiontray extension member 22 is not arranged at the paper ejection traycontraction position.

Furthermore, the blindfold cover 18 included in the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment includes the cover outer shell 41that is formed to be along the first plane. The contact rib 44 is formedin a plate shape that is along a second plane that is perpendicular to afirst plane, and is integrally formed with the cover outer shell 41. Thecontact rib 44 is able to reinforce the cover outer shell 41 such thatthe cover outer shell 41 of the blindfold cover 18 is not bent. Themedium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment is able to reducethe number of the plurality of vertical reinforcement ribs 42 and theplurality of horizontal reinforcement ribs 43 that reinforce the coverouter shell 41 such that the cover outer shell 41 is not bent, and isthus able to reduce a manufacturing cost.

Incidentally, the contact rib 44 included in the medium conveyingapparatus according to the embodiment as described above is formed to bealong the plane that is perpendicular to the plane that is parallel tothe cover outer shell 41; however, the contact rib 44 may be formed tobe along the plane that is perpendicular to the plane that is parallelto the cover outer shell 41. Even when the contact rib 44 is formed inthis way, the contact rib 44 is able to reinforce the cover outer shell41 such that the cover outer shell 41 is not bent. Furthermore, thecontact rib 44 included in the medium conveying apparatus according tothe embodiment as described above is formed such that the cover outershell 41 is reinforced; however, the contact rib 44 may be formed suchthat the cover outer shell 41 is not reinforced. For example, thecontact rib 44 may be formed in a columnar shape protruding from thecover outer shell 41. Even when the contact rib 44 is formed in thisway, the medium conveying apparatus is able to notify the user that thepaper ejection tray extension member 22 is not arranged at the paperejection tray contraction position, and is able to prevent an occurrenceof a problem caused by inappropriate storage of the paper ejection tray7.

Incidentally, the medium conveying apparatus according to the embodimentas described above is used in the image reading apparatus 1; however,the medium conveying apparatus may be used for another device. Anexample of the other device includes a printer that prints characters ordiagrams on a medium. In the printer, the reading unit 38 included inthe medium conveying apparatus according to the embodiment as describedabove is replaced with a printing unit that prints characters ordiagrams on a medium that is conveyed along the conveying path 33. Inthis case, similarly to the medium conveying apparatus according to theembodiment as described above, the medium conveying apparatus is alsoable to notify the user that the paper ejection tray extension member 22is not arranged at the paper ejection tray contraction position, and isable to prevent an occurrence of a problem caused by inappropriatestorage of the paper ejection tray 7.

The medium conveying apparatus of the present disclosure is able toprevent an occurrence of a problem caused by inappropriate storage of atray.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended forpedagogical purposes of aiding the reader in understanding thedisclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to further theart, and are not to be construed as limitations to such specificallyrecited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of suchexamples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority andinferiority of the disclosure. Although the embodiments of thedisclosure have been described in detail, it should be understood thatthe various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made heretowithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A medium conveying apparatus comprising: a mainbody in which a conveying path that connects an insertion port and adischarge port is formed; a paper ejection tray main body that isrotatably supported by the main body and that is arranged at a paperejection tray unfolding position or a paper ejection tray storageposition; an extension member that is supported so as to be able to movetranslationally with respect to the paper ejection tray main body andthat is arranged at an expansion position or a contraction position; acover that is rotatably supported by the main body and that is arrangedat an opening position or a closing position; and a contact member thatis fixed to the cover, wherein the discharge port is connected to thepaper ejection tray main body when the paper ejection tray main body isarranged at the paper ejection tray unfolding position, the insertionport is opened by the cover when the cover is arranged at the openingposition, and is closed by the cover when the cover is arranged at theclosing position, and the cover is arranged at a midway position betweenthe opening position and the closing position when the paper ejectiontray main body is arranged at the paper ejection tray storage positionand when the extension member is not arranged at the contractionposition and is in contact with the contact member.
 2. The mediumconveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact membercomes into contact with the extension member and causes the extensionmember to move toward the contraction position when the paper ejectiontray main body is arranged at the paper ejection tray storage positionand when the cover moves from the opening position toward the closingposition.
 3. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2,further comprising a paper feed tray that is rotatably supported by themain body and that is arranged at a paper feed tray unfolding positionor a paper feed tray storage position, wherein the insertion port isconnected to the paper feed tray when the paper feed tray is arranged atthe paper feed tray unfolding position, and when the paper ejection traymain body is arranged at the paper ejection tray storage position andwhen the extension member is not arranged at the contraction position,the paper feed tray comes into contact with the extension member in themiddle of a process of moving from the paper feed tray storage positiontoward the paper feed tray unfolding position.
 4. The medium conveyingapparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: an opening mechanismconfigured to cause the cover to move toward the opening position whenthe paper feed tray moves toward the paper feed tray unfolding position;and an elastic member that applies an elastic force to the cover suchthat the cover moves toward the closing position when the paper feedtray is arranged at the paper feed tray storage position.
 5. The mediumconveying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the elastic memberapplies the elastic force to the cover such that the extension membermoves to the contraction position when the extension member is incontact with the contact member.
 6. The medium conveying apparatusaccording to claim 3, further comprising: a first sensor that detectswhether or not the paper feed tray is arranged at the paper feed traystorage position; a second sensor that detects whether or not theextension member is arranged at the contraction position; a notificationunit; and a controller configured to control the notification unit tonotify that the extension member is not arranged at the contractionposition when the first sensor detects that the paper feed tray isarranged at the paper feed tray storage position and when the secondsensor detects that the extension member is not arranged at thecontraction position.
 7. The medium conveying apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the second sensor detects whether or not the extensionmember is arranged at the contraction position by detecting whether ornot the cover is arranged at the closing position.
 8. The mediumconveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising anexpansion-and-contraction mechanism configured to cause the extensionmember to move toward the expansion position when the paper ejectiontray main body moves toward the paper ejection tray unfolding position,and to cause the extension member to move toward the contractionposition when the paper ejection tray main body moves toward the paperejection tray storage position.
 9. The medium conveying apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the cover has a plate shape portion thatis formed to be along a first plane, and the contact member is formed ina plate shape that is along a second plane intersecting the first plane,and is integrally formed with the plate shape portion.